Media Matters for America

Media Matters for America (MMFA), a "Web-based, not-for-profit progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media," was founded by David Brock in mid-April 2004.

Along with former MoveOn consultant Tom Matzzie and John Podesta's Center for American Progress, it is behind Progressive Media, a liberal messaging campaign launched in 2008 and expanded in 2009 to become a 'war room' for promoting the foreign and domestic policies of Barack Obama.

Media Matters for America's partner organization, Media Matters Action Network launched Conservative Transparency in November, 2009.

Background
"Because a healthy democracy depends on public access to accurate and reliable information, Media Matters for America is dedicated to alerting news outlets and consumers to conservative misinformation -- wherever we find it, in every news cycle -- and to spurring progressive activism based on standards and accountability in media," explains their website "For the first time, Media Matters for America has put in place a system to monitor the media for conservative misinformation - every day, in real time -- in 2004 and beyond." 

The site "was devised as part of a larger media apparatus being built by liberals to combat what they say is the overwhelming influence of conservative commentators like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly." The "project was developed with help from the newly formed Center for American Progress, the policy group headed by John D. Podesta," Bill Clinton's former chief of staff. "Brock said he hoped it could help provide fodder for fledgling liberal radio talk shows being started across the country, including those of the comedians Al Franken and Janeane Garofalo."

"Mr. Brock, who has also spoken with Senator Clinton, Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota and former Vice President Al Gore about his project, said he was ready to face skepticism. 'I think all ideological converts face a reality on that question,' he said. But, he added, 'I've found people very open to the idea that people can change.'"

MMFA has apparently retained Aman & Associates to promote their first book.

Funding
Funded with "more than $2 million in donations from wealthy liberals." "Among Mr. Brock's donors is Leo Hindery, Jr., the former cable magnate; Susie Tompkins Buell, who is co-founder of the fashion company Esprit and is close to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, and Ms. Buell's husband Mark; and James C. Hormel, a San Francisco philanthropist whose appointment as ambassador to Luxembourg was delayed for a year and a half in the late 1990's by conservative lawmakers protesting what they called his promotion of a 'gay lifestyle.'

Media Matters for America is funded in part by the Democracy Alliance.

Media Matters Action Network
The Media Matters Action Network is a 501(c)4 organization that is a partner organization to MMFA. In December 2008, the Media Matters Action Network acquired the Media Transparency website from Cursor Inc.

Books

 * MediaMatters.org, Misstating the State of the Union: Right-wing media distortions about the Clinton and Bush presidencies, Akashic Books, October 2004, ISBN 1888451807

Related:


 * David Brock, The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy, Crown, 2004, ISBN 1400048753
 * David Brock and Paul Waldman, Free Ride: John McCain and the Media, Anchor, March 2008. ISBN 0307279405

People
Key personnel:


 * David Brock - CEO
 * Eric Burns - President
 * Marcia Kuntz - Editor-in-Chief
 * Jeremy Schulman - Research Director
 * Jamison Foser - Senior Fellow
 * Eric Boehlert - Senior Fellow
 * Duncan Black - Senior Fellow
 * Karl Frisch - Senior Fellow
 * Jessica Levin - Press Secretary

Contact Details
Media Matters for America 455 Massachusetts Ave. NW Suite 600 Washington DC 20001 Telephone: 202-756-4100 Fax: 202-318-0836 Website: http://mediamatters.org/ RSS Feed: http://mediamatters.org/tools/syndication/latest.rss

SourceWatch Resources

 * Democracy Alliance
 * Niki Jagpal